Vienna forum highlights Chinese lessons on energy transition and green development

This year’s Vienna International Climate and Energy Forum has provided deep insights for Kenya and the Global South nations as they seek to scale up transition to clean and renewable energy as part of robust climate response measures and to power green development.

A majority of African states – Kenya included - find themselves at this critical crossroads, grappling with the compelling need to make the clean energy leap but finding themselves hamstrung with costs that their economies can hardly meet. The most practical avenue out of this conundrum is multilateral collaboration.

States must exploit the enormous gains in tapping into regional power pools and grids . so as not to be left behind, as the world gravitates from non-renewable energy. But this desire must be fueled by a firm resolve to align their power systems with emerging best-practices ensure seamless exploitation of this resource.

The conference, currently underway at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, has brought together leading figures and organisations in the renewable energy landscape to discuss matters of renewable energy in the context of climate mitigation and green development.

Major topical issues being deliberated by delegates during plenary, at side events and in roundtables are the need to strengthen multilateral support for green industrialisation; green industrial transformation; powering prosperity, security and stability; and global green industrialization as a pillar of prosperity for all, among many others.

Of great relevance to Kenya and the Global South counties was a side-event held on Thursday, headlined: “Building capacities for the Energy Transition: Towards a Resilient Smart and Inclusive Energy Systems”, co-hosted by the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organisation (GEIDCO) of China, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and several other key players.

GEIDCO, headquartered in Beijing, China but with an elaborate global footprint including in Africa is dedicated to promoting the sustainable development of energy worldwide It seeks to promote the establishment of a global energy interconnection system to meet global demand for electricity in a clean and green way.

This is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All and climate change initiatives. The event showcased China’s advanced capabilities in energy transition and power technology while providing valuable guidance for GEIDCO standardization, supporting the vision of a resilient, intelligent, and inclusive global energy system.

Leading Chinese firms and organisations shared experiences, expertise and insights on how to enhance capacity of countries’ to execute energy transition deemed a key plank of global efforts to rein in emissions and check escalation of climate change impacts. Experts from the China Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI), State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), and related research institutions shared insights on GEI standardization and experiences in energy transition. Innovation of standards for the energy transition was also deemed critical for a resilient, intelligent, and inclusive future energy systems, that are increasingly becoming cross-border in nature.

Mr Zhou Mingyu, technical expert for GEIDCO highlighted that Europe has accumulated substantial experience in energy transition, but increasing penetration of variable renewable energy such as wind and solar has exposed challenges including declining system inertia, increased frequency fluctuations, and cross-border grid congestion. “The recent blackout in the Iberian Peninsula exemplifies these risks,” he pointed out.

To address these challenges, Zhou emphasized five key areas for GEI standards. First is the high penetration of power electronics and grid-forming support Standards.

There is need to accelerate the development of grid-forming inverter standards and establish uniform fault-ride-through and oscillation damping testing standards for renewable integration. Concerning cross-border of deep-sea flexible direct current transmission standards, it is imperative to develop interoperability standards for multi-terminal systems, direct current circuit breakers, and converters, along with technical specifications for large-scale offshore wind transmission and deep-sea cables.

There is also the need to ensure diverse flexibility resources and advanced energy storage standards. Nations must establish standards for electrochemical, compressed air, and hydrogen storage systems, and define communication protocols and interfaces for virtual power plants and vehicle-to-grid integration. Similarly critical is the digital, intelligent dispatch and cybersecurity standards.

Countries must promote digital twin data standards and AI-based dispatch standards, and implement cross-border grid cybersecurity frameworks.

Finally, cross-border electricity market and carbon coordination standards is imperative. Nations must prioritise standardization of transnational electricity trading and dispatch rules, and establish globally recognized green power tracking, certificate trading, and lifecycle carbon footprint accounting standards.

Sharing his experience, Li Tan, director at DC Technology Advisory Laboratory, stressed that international standardization goes beyond technical documentation. “It requires global collaboration, cultural exchange, and coordination among diverse teams,” he added. He noted that China has become a global leader in High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology, and Ultra-High Voltage Direct Current (UHVDC) advancements, providing critical solutions for efficient renewable energy transmission.

By contributing China’s expertise to GEI standards, technologies can achieve interoperability and global deployment, accelerating the clean energy transition worldwide. “International standardization builds a common language for innovation and a shared blueprint for sustainable development. Young professionals bring fresh perspectives, drive innovation, and foster cross-cultural understanding essential for addressing global challenges,” he added.

Du Yang, Deputy Director, Power Technology Center, Shanghai Electric Power Company, illustrated challenges posed by rapidly evolving technologies such as virtual power plants (VPPs) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems, highlighting Shanghai Electric’s groundbreaking achievements in this realm.

This reality is underlined more by Shanghai’s 1.8 million electric vehicles which contribute 360 MW to grid load regulation, with V2G deployment ongoing. Du proposed the establishment of an international smart load management working group to discuss technological development collaboratively.

Nations were also urged to develop an interoperable international standard system covering resource composition, energy management platforms, communication protocols, and electric vehicle charging/discharging regulations. Ultimately nations must also collaborate to promote standard adoption and application through annual publication of draft standards, expert discussions, and national-level dissemination to ensure global technology interoperability.

A key take-way was that a unified standards will accelerate the development of new power systems and promote global adoption of virtual power plants (VPPs,) energy storage, and V2G technologies.

Agutu is a Climate Communication Specialist